Sure, we know eating too much sugar is bad for us, but did you know the sweetener is also bad for the planet? Sugarcane is often grown with chemical insecticides and fertilizers, but it's the way it's harvested that should have you concerned. Since 20 to 25 percent of the leafy part of the sugarcane plant is unnecessary and unproductive, when it comes time to harvest the plant, farmers burn the tops off. This leaves the cane stalk, which is where the sweet sugar is contained. It's bad for you and bad for the planet, so skip sugar.

It might be time to replace your plastic ice cube trays. Traditional hard plastic trays usually contain chemical BPA, which is something many of us avoid due to the fact it has been linked as a possible endocrine disrupter. Hard ice cube trays can also get scratches, leading to microscopic areas where harmful bacterial can grow. When it's time to fill up, consider silicone instead. Silicone trays have zero chance of chemical leaching, and they come in a variety of fun shapes and sizes to make pretty cool ice cubes, too.

When the trees shed their leaves in the fall, raking up the leaves and using them as beneficial mulch is a simple and natural way to have a lush garden next spring. One way to speed up the process is to shred the leaves, usually by running a lawnmower over them. But avoid doing this for leaves that come from walnut and eucalyptus trees. These leaves have a natural substance that acts like an herbicide. If you place these leaves in the garden, they will inhibit plant growth. Instead, compost them so they naturally decompose.